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The forensic pathologist who performed Frank Bonacci’s autopsy said the gunshot that killed him likely came from the back seat of his Jeep.

Jason Dominick was in that seat.

During the fifth day of Mr. Dominick’s trial for the shooting death of 24-year-old Frank Bonacci, testimony from Dr. Gary Ross provided physical evidence to frame the narrative the prosecution has delivered so far. Jurors also heard from an inmate who said Mr. Bonacci’s alleged killer confessed to the slaying.

But Mr. Dominick’s attorney, Bernard Brown, maintained that the fatal shot came from the driver’s seat of Mr. Bonacci’s Jeep, fired by Neil Pal. Mr. Pal, 23, of Scranton, is charged as an accomplice and will stand trial in June.

Dr. Ross said the fatal bullet entered the base of Mr. Bonacci’s skull on the left. The shot would have caused immediate, excessive bleeding, as was evidenced by the large amount of blood found on the left side of his shirt.

Photos of Mr. Bonacci’s Jeep showed a large volume of blood toward the rear section of the center console, but none on the front passenger side.

“His left arm and elbow were on that console when he was shot,” Dr. Ross said, adding that Mr. Bonacci’s body was facing forward.

Mr. Brown contends Mr. Pal fired the fatal shot after first firing a round that missed Mr. Bonacci and struck the passenger side window. He said the second, fatal shot entered Mr. Bonacci’s head after he turned to the right.

“If he was turned toward the right, you would expect to see blood all over the console and not only there, but on the seat,” Dr. Ross said.

He added that it was possible that Mr. Bonacci’s head could have been turned to the right “but his body and arms certainly were not.”

The shot “certainly came from behind him,” and “certainly could have been” fired from the back seat, Dr. Ross testified.

Dr. Ross’s testimony included the display of several black-and-white photos of Mr. Bonacci’s body and the crime scene.

Several members of Mr. Bonacci’s family left the courtroom before the photos were displayed. Mr. Bonacci’s mother, Robin, remained. She showed no emotion as images were projected on a screen.

Mr. Dominick turned away, staring down at the table in front of him, looking up only to briefly view photos of Mr. Bonacci’s hands and the bullet removed from him.

That bullet appeared to be a type of ammunition called a wad cutter, often used as target practice, Dr. Ross said.

They were the same bullets described by Anthony Rusielewicz, who testified about the information he gathered while he and Mr. Dominick served in the same cellblock.

Questioned by First Assistant District Attorney Gene Talerico, Mr. Rusielewicz was candid about his past, listing jail time for robbery, burglary and failing to register as a Megan’s Law offender.

He said he’d never provided information about another inmate before and prosecutors had not offered him any type of deal in exchange for his testimony.

Mr. Dominick, who he called D1, showed him one newspaper clipping about the story, but Mr. Rusielewicz said he had no prior knowledge of the case. He didn’t know the names of the men involved — and said in jail you don’t ask — but he knew Mr. Dominick’s co-defendant provided the gun, drove to a place where “no one goes” with cliffs and “egged on” the killing.

“D1 told me he regretted even going that night,” he said.

Mr. Rusielewicz also outlined the defense he said Mr. Dominick shared with him. He planned to portray his co-defendant as “the violent one” who was known to carry guns.

Mr. Brown challenged his motive, pointing out that Mr. Rusielewicz sent a letter to his attorney with the names of several inmates he had information about. He added that the inmate’s sentencing date had been pushed back until after Mr. Dominick’s trial.

The contents of notes Mr. Rusielewicz prepared before meeting with investigators also lacked one important statement, Mr. Brown said. He never wrote that Mr. Dominick killed Mr. Bonacci.

“I wouldn’t have wrote that down because I already knew that,” Mr. Rusielewicz countered.

Also Friday, Detective Michael Schultz retook the stand, testifying about his analysis of social media and cellphone data.

Mr. Brown has said that his client participated in the coverup because he feared Mr. Pal. Detective Schultz maintained that he saw no indication that Mr. Pal had threatened Mr. Dominick.

There were 70 phone calls between the two accused in the days following Mr. Bonacci’s death, but investigators couldn’t know the content of the conversations, Mr. Brown said.

He also questioned the interpretation of a text memo Mr. Dominick composed in his cell phone after Mr. Bonacci’s body was found. Detective Schultz testified it was a suicide note Thursday, but Mr. Brown painted another picture Friday.

“Please read under the circumstances of my disappearance or death. I am completely innocent of the accusations against me,” Mr. Dominick wrote at 2:01 a.m. on July 29.

Mr. Brown said the first line suggested Mr. Dominick’s memo, which included messages to his immediate family, was meant “in case” something happened and his client hadn’t planned to harm himself.

Detective Schultz said he could not recall whether the memo included those words.

n Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland testified he arrived on scene the day Frank Bonacci’s body was found and ruled his death a homicide.

n Corey Kolcharno, defense attorney for Anthony Rusielewicz, the inmate who claims Jason Dominick confessed to killing Mr. Bonacci, testified there was no agreement between Lackawanna County prosecutors and his client to help him obtain a reduced sentence in Monroe County Court for failing to register as a Megan’s Law offender.

n Scranton police Detective Sgt. Timothy Harding testified about his collection of evidence from the area where Mr. Bonacci’s body was found.

n Joseph Castellano, a Scranton police detective, testified about photographs he took of Mr. Bonacci’s body and his vehicle after it was found.

What’s next

Prosecutors expect to conclude their case Monday with testimony from Scranton Detectives James Pappas and Joseph Lafferty, two of the investigators in the case, as well as two crime-scene investigators and a ballistics expert.

If the defense begins, attorney Bernard Brown said the first witness will be Christina Armetta, a woman that Mr. Dominick was with on July 19, the day of the party at Mr Pal’s home where he encountered Frank Bonacci.

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